Israeli Minister Condemned for Suggesting Starvation of Gazans Might Be 'Justified and Moral'
The European Union, France, and the United Kingdom have condemned a senior Israeli minister for suggesting that starving people in Gaza might be "justified and moral."
Israel's Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, sparked international outrage with his comments: "No one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages." In the same speech, he admitted that Israel was providing humanitarian aid to Gaza only to maintain international legitimacy for its actions.
The EU responded by stating that the deliberate starvation of civilians constitutes a "war crime" and demanded that the Israeli government unequivocally distance itself from Smotrich's remarks. France echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that providing humanitarian aid to Gaza is an obligation under international humanitarian law, as Israel controls all access to the territory. The UK Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, urged the Israeli government to retract and condemn the remarks.
In a separate incident on Wednesday, the US State Department called on Israel to fully investigate allegations of sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees by its soldiers. Responding to a video appearing to show soldiers abusing a detainee, spokesperson Matthew Miller stated, "We have seen the video, and reports of sexual abuse of detainees are horrific. There ought to be zero tolerance for sexual abuse or rape of any detainee."
The White House described the reports of rape, torture, and abuse of Palestinian prisoners as "deeply concerning." The Israeli military, which operates detention facilities, has previously stated that it adheres to the rule of law and investigates specific claims of abuse.
The video emerged amid an Israeli investigation into alleged abuse of Palestinian prisoners, which sparked protests by right-wing Israelis. Nine soldiers were detained over allegations of severe abuse at the Sde Teiman detention facility. Miller commended the Israeli military for initiating an investigation and stressed the importance of accountability.
On Monday, The Guardian reported that interviews with released prisoners revealed normalization of violence, extreme hunger, humiliation, and other abuses across Israel's jail system. Israeli rights group B’Tselem published a report suggesting that mistreatment is now so systemic that it must be considered a policy of "institutionalized abuse."